ImpENSA eHealthy Conversation Skills training for healthcare professionals aimed at improving micronutrient status during the first 1000 days in South Africa.

Individuals' lifestyle behaviours determine health. Improving Early Nutrition and Health in South Africa ("ImpENSA"), an EU Erasmus+ co-funded project, aims to tackle the triple burden of malnutrition in South Africa through equipping healthcare professionals (HCPs) with knowledge and skills to effectively support healthy nutritional choices among pregnant women and mothers/infant caregivers. Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) is a behaviour change intervention utilising open discovery questions, active listening, reflection on practice and goal-setting support through SMARTER (Specific, Measured, Action-oriented, Realistic, Timed, Evaluated and Reviewed) planning as core competences.

A fungal endophyte induces local cell wall-mediated resistance in wheat roots against take-all disease.

Take-all disease, caused by the Ascomycete fungus , is one of the most important root diseases of wheat worldwide. The fungus invades the roots and destroys the vascular tissue, hindering the uptake of water and nutrients. Closely related non-pathogenic species in the family, such as , occur naturally in arable and grassland soils and have previously been reported to reduce take-all disease in field studies.

Immunogenicity and safety of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein vaccine in South African people living with and without HIV-1 infection: A phase 2 randomised trial.

Background: Response data for COVID-19 vaccines in immunosuppressed individuals are typically limited to standard dosing in small populations. Adjusting number or interval of doses may impact immune responses based on HIV status.

Methods: This phase 2 randomised, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled South African study (2019nCoV-505/NCT05112848) enrolled medically stable people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-uninfected participants aged 18-65 years.

Female rats consuming an iron and omega-3 fatty acid deficient diet preconception require combined iron and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for the prevention of bone impairments in offspring.

We previously showed in rats that pre- and postnatal deficiencies in iron and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids can impair bone development, with additive and potentially irreversible effects when combined. This study aimed to investigate, in female rats consuming a combined iron and n-3 fatty acid deficient (ID + n-3 FAD) diet preconception, whether supplementation with iron and docosahexaenoic/eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA/EPA), alone and in combination, can prevent bone impairments in offspring. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, female Wistar rats consuming an ID + n-3 FAD diet preconception were randomised to receive an: 1) iron supplemented (Fe + n-3 FAD), 2) DHA/EPA supplemented (ID + DHA/EPA), 3) Fe + DHA/EPA, or 4) ID + n-3 FAD diet from gestational day 10 throughout pregnancy and lactation.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of coformulated bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide in children aged 2 years and older with virologically suppressed HIV: a phase 2/3, open-label, single-arm study.

Background: Coformulated bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide is a single-tablet regimen and was efficacious and well tolerated in children and adolescents with HIV (aged 6 years to <18 years) in a 48-week phase 2/3 trial. In this study, we report data from children aged at least 2 years and weighing 14 kg to less than 25 kg.

Methods: We conducted this open-label, multicentre, multicohort, single-arm study in South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA.